Theresa Eslund (née Nielsen; born 20 July 1986) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Brøndby IF in the Danish Elitedivisionen and the Danish national team.
![]() Eslund in 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Theresa Eslund | |||||||||||||||
Birth name | Theresa Nielsen[1] | |||||||||||||||
Date of birth | (1986-07-20) 20 July 1986 (age 36) | |||||||||||||||
Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Right back | |||||||||||||||
Club information | ||||||||||||||||
Current team | Brøndby IF | |||||||||||||||
Number | 8 | |||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
Rikken | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
0000–2002 | Hvidovre IF | |||||||||||||||
2003–2008 | Ballerup-Skovlunde | |||||||||||||||
2009–2017 | Brøndby IF | 87 | (13) | |||||||||||||
2017 | Vålerenga | 22 | (2) | |||||||||||||
2018–2019 | Reign FC | 41 | (1) | |||||||||||||
2018–2019 | → Melbourne City (loan) | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||
2020– | Brøndby IF | 22 | (2) | |||||||||||||
National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
2002–2003 | Denmark U-17 | 15 | (3) | |||||||||||||
2006 | Denmark U-21 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
2009 | Denmark U-23 | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||||
2008– | Denmark | 133 | (5) | |||||||||||||
Honours
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 November 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 March 2020 |
Eslund previously played for Reign FC of the American National Women's Soccer League, Melbourne City of the Australian W-League, and Vålerenga in Norway's Toppserien. She was named Danish Women's Footballer of the Year in 2012.
Raised in Valby, Eslund began playing football at age six on a team known as Rikken.[2][3]
In 2012, Eslund was named Danish Women's Footballer of the Year after helping Brøndby IF to a league and cup double.[4]
In January 2017, Eslund signed with Norwegian club, Vålerenga in Oslo, marking her first time playing for a foreign club.[5] Eslund made 22 appearances for Vålerenga and scored two goals during the 2017 season.[6] She scored her first goal for Vålerenga in the 47th minute of a match against Kolbotn resulting in a 2–0 win.[7] The club finished in seventh place with a 10–8–4 record.[8] Eslund was named one of the top 200 players in the world for 2017 by The Offside Rule, a podcast by The Guardian.[9]
Eslund signed with American side Reign FC ahead of the 2018 National Women's Soccer League season in January 2018.[10][11] She made her debut for Seattle as a starting defender during the home opener — a 2–1 win over the Washington Spirit on 24 March.[12]
Eslund returned to Brøndby IF on a two-year contract in 2020, were the team ended up at second place in the league.[13]
At age 17, Eslund competed with the Denmark's under-17 national team at the 2003 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival. She scored in the final as Denmark beat Switzerland on penalties after a 1–1 draw at Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris.[14]
Eslund made her senior international debut for Denmark in March 2008, during the team's 1–0 win over Germany at the 2008 Algarve Cup.[15]
She was named to Kenneth Heiner-Møller's squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013[16] and she was also part of Danish squad, who received silver at the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in Netherlands.[17]
Formerly known as Theresa Nielsen, Eslund began using her married name in 2020.[20]
Danish Women's Football Player of the Year | |
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Denmark squads | |||||||||||||
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